The Saffrons

Centre of Eastbourne from The Saffrons

The Saffrons is a multi-purpose sports ground in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The ground is home to Eastbourne Cricket Club, Eastbourne Hockey Club and Eastbourne Town Football Club. There is also an astroturf pitch. The sports ground is located on the edge of Eastbourne town centre, next to the Town Hall and is in easy reach of local transport links. The ground was first used in 1884. Sussex County Cricket Club played some of their matches there between 1896 and 2000.

Football

The Saffrons is home to Eastbourne Town F.C., who play in the Isthmian League Division One South who have played football here since 1886, when the then Devonshire Park Football Club moved grounds from their former namesake (now the venue for the International Women's Open Tennis). Devonshire Park Football Club changed their name to Eastbourne in 1889 and adding town in 1971.

The ground has seen many improvements over the years with the stand behind the far goal being rebuild in 1994, now known as the Taffy Jones/Sid Myall stand. The original was a wooden structure and was destroyed by a fire in 1969. The stand was rebuilt but lost its roof in the 1987 hurricane.

Also since the late 1990s, floodlights have been installed at the ground along with a clubhouse, new dressing rooms and a tea bar have been built behind the stand. At the near end of the ground is a small terrace area for spectators with a movable fence to enclose the cricket ground opposite.

There is another covered area next to the main turnsite which currently has wooden benches. The main turnsite was originally built in 1914 and was destroyed by a fire in February 2004 but restored before the new season started.

The ground plays host to many county cup finals at youth and intermediate level. The capacity of the football ground is 3,000, with seating for 200 spectators.

Cricket

The Cricket ground is home to Eastbourne Cricket Club, who play in the Sussex Cricket League. The venue saw its first game of cricket played in 1884 and has a capacity of 4,500.^[1]

The Saffrons hosted 226 first-class matches between 1896 and 2000. Most of these involved Sussex County Cricket Club, but (especially in earlier years) a number of tour and invitational sides played here too.^[2] The inaugural first-class match at the Saffrons was played in May 1896, when South of England drew with the touring Australians.^[3] The ground hosted 32 List A matches between 1970 and 2000,^[4] and one match each of Youth and Women's One-Day Internationals, as well as Sussex Second XI games.

Records

First-class

• Highest team total: 676/8 declared by Harlequins v West Indians, 1928
• Lowest team total: 38 by Sussex v Hampshire, 1950
  • Charles Knott returned figures of 7-4-5-5 in this innings
• Highest individual innings: 310 by Harold Gimblett for Somerset v Sussex, 1948
  • The first triple century for Somerset^[5]
• Best bowling in an innings: 9-62 by Tony Nicholson for Yorkshire v Sussex, 1967
• Best bowling in a match: 14-84 by Hugh Trumble for Australians v England XI, 1902

List A

• Highest team total: 262 (48.3 overs) by Sussex v Nottinghamshire, 1993
• Lowest team total: 63 (37.4 overs) by Minor Counties East v Sussex, 1978^[6]
• Highest individual innings: 109 by Roger Knight for Sussex v Leicestershire, 1976
• Best bowling in an innings: 5-19 by Michael Buss for Sussex v Minor Counties East, 1978^[6]

Notes

References

• The Saffrons, Eastbourne from CricketArchive
• The Saffrons, Eastbourne - Records from CricketArchive
• Eastbourne Town F.C. from Nomad Online

Coordinates: 50°45′57.87″N 0°16′30.12″E / 50.7660750°N 0.2750333°E / 50.7660750; 0.2750333